Satellites which are designed for a data connection for receiving and/or sending data to and from a remote station are commonly referred to as communication satellites. Communication satellites may be used to receive information signals such as television signals, voice signals or other information data on the one hand, and to transmit this data on the other hand in the direction of another region of the Earth's surface.
Due to the resulting high data volume, high-rate transmission protocols, that is, protocols with a high data rate in the range of several gigabits per second (Gbps), are typically used. Such transmission protocols typically require special receiving and sending assemblies, which are adapted to the respective transmission protocol used, for example, to keep the error rate as low as possible, so that the available bandwidth is used effectively. The sending and receiving arrangements adapted to the transmission protocols may be of high technical complexity, such that these are typically provided for no more than one transmission protocol. The transmission protocol applies in particular to the manner of the physical transmission of signals, for which the sending and receiving arrangements have adapted sending and receiving units. For example, it may be necessary for the receiving of electromagnetic waves in different wavelength ranges to provide different receiving and sending units. Especially in the field of communication satellites, the quantity and diversity of the installed devices is an essential aspect, so that the sending and receiving apparatuses are typically not provided for a plurality of different transmission protocols.
In the field of communication satellites, a plurality of different communication protocols are used throughout the world, which causes, in particular, that a remote station located on the Earth's surface (stationary) or in an aircraft (mobile) cannot exchange data via a high-rate connection with any desired communication satellite.
Under certain circumstances, the need may arise that a mobile or stationary remote station must exchange data with a communication satellite, for example if an aircraft in the Earth's atmosphere or a receiver on the Earth's surface is to receive data from a communication satellite, or if data from the Earth's surface is to be sent to a communication satellite with an unknown high-rate transmission protocol. If, however, the communication satellite is only configured for a single high-rage transmission protocol, it may then be necessary that the remote station uses a sending and receiving arrangement which is adapted to this high-rate transmission protocol.